Shocking! How Alcohol Intake during Pregnancy Deforms Babies

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can subtly influence the way a baby’s face is formed, researchers have found.

The finding includes even drinking at low levels such as the occasional drink.

Using a 3D facial analysis, features observed were subtle and not visible to the naked eye, being less than 2mm.

However, the researchers did observe small changes to the mid-face – the nose, lips and eyes – of babies who were exposed to any alcohol from the first trimester of pregnancy.

According to Mirror, the findings which researchers said also raises questions about brain development – come out of a study of 415 babies who had 3D photographs taken of their faces at the age of one.

Researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute asked the mums of the babies about their drinking habits before and during their pregnancies.

The differences between children exposed or not to alcohol were analysed with the Medical Imaging Research Centre at the University of Leuven in Belgium.